How to Set Up a Pet-Safe Underground Fence

Many people who have pets that enjoy going outdoors do not have fenced yards. That means they must take their pets outside on a leash or risk their pets wandering into the streets or running away. Underground pet fences can help keep pets contained to a yard using sound and mild static shocks like you might get by touching a metal doorknob after walking across a carpeted floor.

Things You'll Need

  • Underground fence kit
  • Shovel
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Instructions

    • 1

      Unpack and examine your underground pet fence kit to make sure that all the components are indeed included. Most underground fence systems consist of a wire that is buried along your property's perimeter and boundary flags meant to alert your pets and your neighbors about where the pet fence extends to. Additionally, there should be a transmitter that you plug in. This transmitter will emit a signal that will travel along the wire. Also included should be a receiver that your pet wears on his collar. Instead of a receiver, some kits come with their own pet collar with the receiver built in.

    • 2

      Mark the locations of sprinkler lines or power lines for outdoor lighting systems that you may have buried in your yard. This way, you can avoid hitting them by mistake when digging a trench for your underground wiring. If you can't determine where these lines are located, make sure to shut off your water and power supplies before digging.

    • 3

      Decide whether you will establish any exclusion zones. This will depend first and foremost on whether the system you chose allows for this. Usually, such systems allow pet owners to establish zones in the fenced-in perimeter that are out of bounds, such as garden beds. They do this by providing a different type of wire used to circle off the exclusion zones.

    • 4

      Lay out your entire system above ground, and plug in the transmitter. Then turn on the system. This will help you determine whether everything is working properly so that you don't do all the work of burying the underground wire just to find out that you need to dig it back up and send it back to the vendor. Once you're sure that the system is working properly, shut it off and unplug the transmitter.

    • 5

      Dig a thin trench along your property's perimeter or along the boundary you would like your pet to maintain. Some systems may require you to bury the wire deeper underground than others. Comply with any instructions for wire burial included with your underground pet fence. This task may be more easily accomplished using a wire laying trencher or a garden edger. Remember not to dig too deep to avoid hitting underground utility lines, although generally this won't be a problem because such lines are buried deep underground.

    • 6

      Lay out the wire in the trench, and cover it with dirt. Plug the transmitter into an electrical socket, and turn it on. Your pet fence should now be operational.

    • 7

      Set down the perimeter flags, and attach the receiver to your pet collar, or if the system included an entire pet collar, secure it around your pet's neck.